Lewis Ferebee: IPS won’t bail out Arlington but will stick by neighborhood

Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said the district will not abandon the Arlington Community High School neighborhood if the company hired by the state to operate the troubled school cannot afford to keep it open.
(Photo:
Danese Kenon/The Star file photo
)

Lewis Ferebee, Indianapolis Public Schools superintendent, said Thursday the district will not abandon the Arlington Community High School neighborhood if the school is forced to shut down but added that it cannot financially aid the company hired by the state to operate the troubled school.

Ferebee‘s comments come a day after Tindley Accelerated Schools’ CEO Marcus Robinson unexpectedly told the State Board of Education that he was unsure the nonprofit company could continue operating the Northeastside school for the 2014-15 academic year without a cash infusion of $2.4 million or other significant help.

Robinson suggested to the board that Tindley could seek some type of support from IPS and suggested the school be transitioned back to the district next year. The state took over Arlington in 2012, after six straight years of “F” grades. It’s now run by Tindley, a local nonprofit charter school operator formerly known as Ed Power.

To quickly find a solution to Tindley’s problems before the August start of the new school year, the Board of Education unanimously approved a task force of staff from the Department of Education, Mayor Greg Ballard’s office, IPS, Tindley, and the Center for Education and Career Innovation to create a “transition plan” for how Arlington can be operated.

The task force is expected to bring a plan to the state board soon.

In a statement released by IPS today, Ferebee said he was aware of Tindley’s financial concerns but was surprised by how the situation unfolded at the board meeting.

Ferebee invited Arlington students to enroll now at an IPS school and said he was committed to finding the best possible way to handle the potentially “tense transition” if the school were to be closed. Arlington is located at 4825 N. Arlington Ave.

“It’s important to understand this isn’t a dispute between IPS and Tindley or any other entity — we’re all trying to solve the problem of an unfortunate funding gap,” Ferebee said in the statement. “Tindley can’t afford to keep Arlington running, and IPS is unable to provide the financial resources to close the financial gap associated with operating the building under the current model.”

Furthermore, Ferebee said, the district is willing to share services that would not lead to increased expenses, such as general maintenance, with Tindley.

“We will not sacrifice any resources that would jeopardize services and support for current IPS students,” he said.

Robinson, Tindley’s CEO, said the business model of running a school under state takeover just does not work.

Tindley faces a budget shortfall of more than $2 million that could prevent keeping the school open for the entire 2014-15 school year. One reason for that, he said, is the high cost of operating a building that was built for 2,500 students. Enrollment next month is expected to be around 400 students.

Funding for the school is based on enrollment. Last year, Tindley lost more than $1 million from a federal grant to help run the school. Tindley filed a request with the State Board of Education last month for an additional $2.4 million in funding to operate Arlington for 2014-15. The board unanimously voted against the request Wednesday.

Ferebee said the problems facing Tindley are part of a larger concern for the five schools currently under state takeover since 2012, including four from IPS.

“This situation points out some of the holes in Indiana’s school reform. Once we resolve what happens at Arlington, there’s still more discussion that needs to take place about this model,” he said. “We have many more students attending takeover schools, and a plan for long-term implementation and transition must be determined.”